At the library, we try to offer opportunities for activities that tie in with school events. This year we offered a holiday card crafting event for students. Classes were encouraged to create holiday cards for first responders and police so the library offered opportunities for students to come to the library during lunch and with their ELAR classes to create holiday cards. We utilized vocabulary banks and sentence stems to support student learning during the process.
At the Krueger Library, students have access to makerspace supplies and SEL-style items to allow them to create, craft, relax and recharge. The library often hosts stations where students can create holiday cards, finish projects, create school spirit gear, work on puzzles, play with Legos, play card games, color, work, and read. Activities such as these contribute to the overall well-being of our students and ensure they have a safe and welcoming place to come to on campus.
The Krueger Library hosts book giveaways multiple times a year, usually coinciding with upcoming school breaks. New books are often purchased with school funds and fundraising monies or donated by various organizations. Students are recommended by their teachers to pick out their own book(s) to take home and add to their collection. This ensures student access to reading material during school holidays and helps develop a home library collection and enjoyment of reading.
It’s our goal for the Krueger library to be a safe and welcoming space for any student. This can take many forms: a quiet place to work or read, a place to relax with friends, a place with ample supplies for activities, etc. During lunches, I offer the library as a space for students to come and relax and wind down. They have access to library activities and can use computers or catch up on work if needed. Students tell the librarian how they appreciate a brief respite from their school day.
We host two book fairs: one regular book fair in the fall and one Buy One Get One book fair in May. Our fall book fair was especially successful due to a collaboration with our family specialist and ELAR teachers to host a Literacy Night where families could come and shop the book fair, win books, and participate in ELAR style activities for the whole family. Students enjoy the book fair and it enables them to self-select texts that aren’t always available for check out in the library.